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Battle of Hope
The Battle of Hope was a major battle fought between the Heroic Alliance and the Corrupt Legions on Bowman's Bluff. The battle resulted in an Alliance victory. However, heavy losses were sustained, and many of the great heroes of the land fell over the course of the three-day battle. The battle culminated in Brother Tendare's sacrifice, which sanctified the lands around Bowman's Bluff, and pushed back the Corruption. Build Up The Corruption had fully taken over Weybridge by the end of the 2110's, and threatened to cut off the Southern ends of Farador from the new capital of Bourne. When the Corruption hit Weybridge, reports reached Bourne that the Corrupted Souls emerging from the Corruption were more organised than ever before, and that they were acting strategically. Furthermore, each individual was stronger and faster. In response to this new threat, Count Joel and King Willeon began devising a plan to stem the tide of the dark forces. With the help of the Crimson Company, messages were sent across Andoran asking for aid. It was decided that a smaller army of mages and seasoned adventurers would be best suited to repel the army. The regular infantry of Farador was sent to Bourne, to defend it in a final stand should the Heroic Alliance fail. In April 2124, scouts reported seeing a large army moving through the Corruption, headed for Bourne. The Heroic Alliance moved swiftly, and chose to hold the Corrupt Legion at Bowman's Bluff, with defenses being raised magically by Lucien Greycastle. Only two days after the defenses were set in place, the battle commenced. Battle Defenders On the morning of May 4th, the Alliance were contained within the arcane fortress created by Lord Greycastle. The Rangers of Farador were positioned to the North of Bowman's Bluff, under cover of dense woodlands. To the South, Lord Ironfist and his elite force of warriors had prepared a tunnel system from which they could emerge in several flanking positions. Attackers The Corrupt Legion marched in a loosely organised column some hundred abreast, around a mile long. They broke up into three arms before coming within sight of the defenses. One arm moved North, with their movements going around the waiting Rangers. The other moved South towards the Emberflow river, in order to assault the fortress from the rear. Both these flanking maneuvers consisted of 10,000 creatures. The central column, which was up to 20,000 strong, forged a straight line towards the fortress, preparing for a head on assault. First Clashes As soon as the central body of the Corrupt Legions came within range of the fortress, the Alliance targeted them with devastating spells that hindered the advance. Among the more powerful spells used were Earthquake, Tsunami, Meteor Swarm, and Sunbeam. Whilst these initial attacks were effective, the numbers began to overwhelm the Alliance, and by the end of the day the Legions had reached the gates of the fortress, rendering the spells with large areas of effect too dangerous to use. As night fell, the gates were opened, and the most stalwart fighters held the bottleneck, although over the ensuing hours they were felled, and pushed back further into the courtyard of the fortress. During this time, Lord Ironfist's Dwarves had slowed down the Southern arm of the Legion, collapsing tunnels and causing the forces to scatter across the terrain into smaller groups, which the Dwarves were able to defeat at first. By nightfall, the Dwarves had lost a third of their number, and only destroyed some 3,000 of the legion. The Rangers did not engage on the first day, for fear of revealing their position and being forced to fight on two fronts. Second Day By dawn of the 5th of May, the Heroes had managed to reclaim the gates of the Fortress, and shut them, however many were lost in this endeavour. The Grey Shields were seen locking themselves beyond the gates, allowing vital repairs to be made, at the cost of their own lives. During the second day, the Legion fell back but continued harassing the defenders with arrow fire and a regular storming of the gates. In an effort to preserve their powers, retalliation was minimal. By sundown, the Northern arm of the Legion was seen approaching the fortress, and the remainder of Lord Ironfist's Dwarves had retreated to the safety of the walls, having defeated over half of the Southern arm. The following night saw relatively little fighting, and the remaining Alliance members were able to gather their strength. Third Day On the third day, the final assault on the fortress began. The Legion attacked from the North with a strength of 10,000, the West with 8,000, and the South East with 4,000. Within an hour, the walls were being overrun, and the Alliance was down to under 100 mages and warriors. It was at this point that the Rangers made their move, and assaulted the rear of the Northern Arm, raining down arrows from multiple angles. This caused the Northern arm to briefly disengage, and march on the Rangers, who were able to outmaneuver the larger army, and continue whittling down their numbers. This distraction gave the defenders in the fortress a moment to breathe, and sally forth from the gate of the Fortress, where Brother Tendare led the final charge towards the heart of the Corrupt Legion. Sacrifice Those who survived the battle recall how the charge was a success at first, although the fields of the dead, and the broken terrain soon halted the Alliance. Vastly outnumbered, the last of the great heroes of Andoran fell one by one. As the sun was setting, Brother Tendare ordered the survivors to flee, and take any wounded with them. Some who were able to scry after teleporting away from the field report that they saw Tendare drop his sword to the ground, and pray to all the Gods, in one desperate plea to defend the lands of the living. Through his connection to the divine, Tendare was able to sacrifice his own life and soul to repel the Legion in what some have called "the mother of all turn undeads". The land buckled and broke, and the Legion were destroyed in blazes of radiant energy. This attack alone is estimated by scholars to have destroyed over 5,000 Corrupted Souls. Broken and demoralised, the Legion scattered, with many fleeing West to the Corruption. The few remaining Rangers were able to run down several dozen foes, but their number was too weak to pursue the routing enemy. The battle was considered a victory, although the cost was unprecenented. Despire the casualties, the victory started emboldening the general populous, and gave many hope that the Corruption and Arda could one day be defeated. Legacy Although heavy losses were sustained, the Battle of Hope was hailed as a victory for the Alliance. The Corruption ceased spreading, and even receded in some areas. Many religious scholars around the world agreed that the divine power wielded by Brother Tendare in his final moments had not been seen on the Material Plane since the Age of Heores. As such, he was recognised as a saint, and many often bless his name out of habit. Though the Corruption has slowly started spreading again, the forces witnessed at the Battle of Hope have not been seen, and the Corrupt Souls that harass the border lands are weaker, and less organised than they were. A monument now stands on Bowman's Bluff commemorating all those who fought and fell at the battle, and the 6th of May is a recognised day of celebration across Farador, Kaledonia, and even in certain parts of the Barran Clans.